What do you think?
Rate this book
The Opera Lover's Cookbook: Menus for Elegant Entertaining
Great music and great food make an exhilarating duet. Taking her cues from the world’s most beloved operas, food diva Francine Segan has composed a cycle of menus that are sure to have your family and friends shouting, “Brava! Bravissima!”
Each chapter of Opera Lover’s Cookbook presents a culinary performance—an elegant five-course dinner, a brunch, a dessert party— scored to a particular operatic motif or keyed to the work of a renowned composer. Operas set in Spain— Carmen, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Don Giovann i—are the exotic backdrop for a tapas fiesta. The far-flung locales of Puccini’s La Bohème, Madama Butterfly, Tosca , and Turandot inspire an eclectic international buffet. A rustic Italian dinner is orchestrated to the strains of Verdi’s Traviata . And Gilbert and Sullivan, of course, provide the overture for an English-style pub supper.
Sumptuously illustrated with photographs of featured dishes and lavish productions mounted by New York’s Metropolitan Opera Company, Opera Lover’s Cookbook also dispenses advice on home entertaining and on setting the scene with stunning table decor. Its more than 125 recipes include appetizers and hors d’oeuvres; soup, salad, fish, and pasta courses; main dishes; sweets; and thematic aperitif, cocktail, and after-dinner drinks.
Each chapter of Opera Lover’s Cookbook presents a culinary performance—an elegant five-course dinner, a brunch, a dessert party— scored to a particular operatic motif or keyed to the work of a renowned composer. Operas set in Spain— Carmen, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Don Giovann i—are the exotic backdrop for a tapas fiesta. The far-flung locales of Puccini’s La Bohème, Madama Butterfly, Tosca , and Turandot inspire an eclectic international buffet. A rustic Italian dinner is orchestrated to the strains of Verdi’s Traviata . And Gilbert and Sullivan, of course, provide the overture for an English-style pub supper.
Sumptuously illustrated with photographs of featured dishes and lavish productions mounted by New York’s Metropolitan Opera Company, Opera Lover’s Cookbook also dispenses advice on home entertaining and on setting the scene with stunning table decor. Its more than 125 recipes include appetizers and hors d’oeuvres; soup, salad, fish, and pasta courses; main dishes; sweets; and thematic aperitif, cocktail, and after-dinner drinks.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2006
1 person is currently reading
28 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 7, 2022
I'm not much in to opera but I am in to coffee table books of food. Opera enthusiasts will enjoying pairing the menus with the music selection. Beautiful photos and tidbits of opera musings and trivia.
August 5, 2016
A sumptuous cook book that indulged my love for opera and fine cuisine. Honestly I'm not much of a cook but I do love food (who doesn't?) and this book was perfetto. The notes, pictures, and descriptions indulged the senses and the reading experience was just divine.
May 4, 2012
One of the most gorgeous cookbooks ever--more of a "coffee table" book. Some very nice recipes, but not many that appealed to our family's tastes.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews